Workshop 2: Diversity in teams

Moderating relationship

"when: Diversity Practice X------------->Outcome Y ^^Moderator

Mediating relationship

"why" or "when" Diversity practice X----> Mediator----->Outcome Y

Two typologies of diversity

- Criteria: job-relatedness, discernibleness - Demographic diversity: readily observable and less job related (eg. age, gender and ethnicity) - Functional diversity: less easily desicernable and more job related (eg. educational background, personality)

1. What is diversity

- Definition: Differences between individuals on any dimension that may lead to the perception that another person is different from self - Examples of dimensions are: ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, and religion - Diversity is not a characteristic of an individual: it is a GROUP characteristic - Degree of diversity is RELATIVE to other groups

5. Faultlines

- Definition: faultiness are potential divisions within a group that arise from the ALIGNMENT of several attributed of diversity - subgroups or coalitions that emerge naturally within teams

3. Cultural Differences

- Horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism - Tight and loose cultures

Inclusion

- Inclusion is "a sense of belonging: feeling respected, valued for who you are; feeling a level of supportive energy and commitment from others so that you can do your best." - Inclusion should be reflected in the culture, the practices, and the relationships of an organization that are in place to support a diverse workforce - "Diversity is the mix, inclusion is getting the mix to work well together"

Two levels of diversity

- Surface level (age, gender, race) - Deep level (educational background, work experience)

Surface-level diversity

- Visible diversity = diversity that is external and demonstrates things we cannot change, for example age, race, gender and other physical attributes

Vertical individualism

A cultural pattern in which an autonomous self is postulated, but individuals see each other as different, and inequality is expected

Vertical collectivism

A cultural pattern in which the individual sees the self as an aspect of an in-group, but the members of the in-group are different from each other, some having more status than others

Horizontal collectivism

A cultural pattern in which the individual sees the self as an aspect of an in-group; all group members are similar to each other

Horizontal individualism

A cultural pattern where an autonomous sled s postulated, but the individual is more or less equal in status with others

Quantifying diversity

Blau's Index: measure to determine diversity WITHIN A TEAM (there is a formula for it lol)

Deep-level diversity

Invisible diversity= attributes/things that are not readily seen, for example educational background, skills, work experience, working styles

Tight culture

Strong norms and a low tolerance of deviant behavior

2. Why does diversity matter for organizations?

Top reasons given by HR executives for promoting organizational diversity: - Better understanding of the market place - Better utilization of talent - More creativity, innovation and problem solving

4. What are the perspective on how diversity impacts team performance?

Two perspectives: - Social categorization perspective (favor in-group than out-group) - Information/decision making perspective (make use of rich information that stems from diversity)

Loose culture

Weak norms and a high tolerance of deviant behavior

Workforce Diversity

Workforce diversity means that "organizations are becoming more heterogeneous in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation and inclusion of other diverse groups"

Causal relationship

diversity practice X ---------->Outcome Y